' 316 
S61 
opv 1 



""""^^""^'^'^ — - |-,^ 



A TRIP THROUGH 



NORTHERN AND CENTRAL 




FLORIDA, 



During March and April, 1882. 



By frank SIMPSON. 




FLORIDA TRANSIT R. R. 

Peninsular R. R. 

Florida Central & Western R R. 

ALL UNDER ONE MANAGEMENT, 

SIR EDWARD J. REED and DR. J. WERTHEIM, 
Managers of the Florida Land Syndicate. 



PENINSULAR RAILROAD 

OPEX TO 

TWENTY-isEVEX MILES SOUTU OF OCALA. 

Conne(fling daily with Stag^e Coaches for Leesburof. Sumterville 
Withlacooche River. Lake Panasof kee, Brooksville, Tampa, and all 
points on the Peninsula. 

Only 10 Hours from Jacksonville to LeeslDurg, 

22 HOI HS IX AUVAXtE OF ALL OTHKK LINES. 

Through Tickets from Jacksonville to Leesburg Only S7.50 

Railroad Lands, belonging to the above mentioned roads, for Sale. 
Low Prices, Easy Payments. 

We are now locating a tra(fl of 4.000 Acres, near Ocala, Marion 
County. Florida, for a Colony, in farms of 20, 40 and 80 acres, at 
prices varying from $5 to $10 per acre. One-fourth cash, balance in 
one. two and three years. 

Through tickets can be purchased from Amsterdam and Rotterdam 
to Fernandiiia, or Ocala, Florida, via. New York. 

Through tickets by Railroad or Steamship from New York to any 
part of F"lorida and return, at reduci-d rates. 

For full information. Maps, Tickets, and letters to the Land Com- 
missioner in Florida, apply in person, or bv letter, to 

WM. //. MAR T/y, Agent. 

Florida Land Office, 50 Broadway. 2d Story, 

New York City, N. Y, 
Principal Land Office— OCALA, FLORIDA. 

HUGH A. CORLEY. Commissioner. 



A TRIP THROUGH 



NORTHERN AND CENTRAL 



FLORIDA, 



During March and April, 1882 



By frank SIMPSON. 



EAST ORANGE, N. J.: 
East Orange Gazette Print, 






/'c^. 



Northern and Central Florida. 



One Thursday evening about the middle of March, Hon. L, 
M. Lawson and wife, together with myself, left New York for 
Jacksonville. The next morning reaching Washington, our 
party was increased by other gentlemen, all of whom were on 
their way to Jacksonville to attend a dire6lors' meeting of the 
Florida Central and Western Railroad, and I had been kindly 
invited to join the party in a trip over the road, which they 
intended to make when the meeting was finished. 

After a warm and dusty ride, we reached Jacksonville Satur- 
day evening at about half-past five, the train by some accident 
happening to be on time. During our stay in this city we 
stopped at the Windsor Hotel, finding it to be a first-class 
house in every respect. Before I had been long in the Land 
of Flowers I found that my knowledge of the State amounted 
almost to nothing, and that those impressions which I had 
had all my life were now to be entirely forgotten. Florida is 
often imagined as a country, and perhaps a swampy one, too, 
lying somewhere down South, which will do very well for in- 
valids and consumptives, but which is no place for a strong, 
enterprising man. This impression is, however, totally wrong. 
As for swamps, they are rarely found. Even the famous Ever- 
glade Region, which appears to many one vast mud-hole, is 
but a prairie-like region, dotted with islands which are covered 
with cypress, oak, cedar, pine and other such trees, while 
around these islands is a pure, clear water varying in depth 
from three to thirty inches. Should the attempt which is now 
being made to drain this country be successful, millions of 
acres of the finest sugar and cotton lands in the world will be 



6 NORTHERN AND CENTRAL FLORIDA. 

but forests are now employed in the cultivation of vegetables 
for our northern markets. Frosts do now and then, however, 
come to this portion of the State, as happened during the 
winter of 1880-1, when all of the orange trees were killed off. 
A new growth has been set out, but here the orange is not 
so profitable, owing to its northern situation. This part of 
Florida is best fitted for live stock and crops, and in no place 
do they flourish better. All northern fruits and vegetables, 
together with the hardier of the southern, grow here with less 
care than has to be expended upon them in cither the North 
or West. The country in the northwestern part of Florida is 
rolling and to a northern eye has a most homelike appearance. 

The lumber trade is a profitable one, those mills which are 
already established paying well, while new ones are constantly 
springing up. Indeed, in more cases than one a town has 
been built, which, in the first place, owed its foundation to 
the establishment of a saw mill. A most interesting and well 
attested fa6l concerning the pine forests of Florida is, that 
whereas in other countries, when the original trees are cut 
down, a growth of scrub oak or some other inferior kind of 
wood springs up, yet in this State the original forest is suc- 
ceeded by a new growth of equally good pine, which is large 
enough for commercial use in fifteen or twenty years. This 
new growth happens not once, but continually, and renders 
the pine forests of Florida literally inexhaustible. 

In the evening at about five o'clock we reached Tallahassee, 
the capital of the State. Leaving our valises at the hotel, we 
were instantly taken for a drive around the city and out into 
the country, and so had an opportunity to judge of its merits 
before nightfall. The city possesses about twenty-five hun- 
dred inhabitants and is a most charming place. It is situated 
a little above the surrounding countr\', and a view from the 
roof of the State House shows a beautiful prospefl of rolling 
hills, farms, clumps of trees, forest land, valleys and brooks. 
Tallahassee has good roads, beautiful drives, and a most de- 
lightful atmosphere. The society here is perhaps the best 
in the State, the people being hospitable and friendly and 
devoted to the cultivation of flowers. Once a year, during 
the month of March, the inhabitants hold a floral exhibition, 



LAKE JACKSON— CH A TTAHOOCHEE— CEDAR KE YS. y 

"when the wealth and beauty of the flowers displayed does 
great honor to the tastes of the exhibitors. 

Within seven miles of the city is Lake Jackson, an irregular 
but beautiful sheet of water, situated among the hills, and said 
by our driver to be fifteen miles in length. The shores of the 
lake afford beautiful sites for villas, which are, as yet, being 
built only to a very small extent. A new hotel, which by the 
way is very much needed, is now being built at Tallahassee, 
and this, with the other attra6lions possessed by the city, 
should make it a place of popular resort for northern visitors. 

Chattahoochee, situated on the Appalachicola river, some 
forty miles distant from the capital, was also visited by us. 
The place consists of nothing but the railroad depot, steam- 
boat landing, two or three huts and a building which we 
supposed to be a hotel. 

We left Tallahassee Wednesday evening, and after a com- 
fortable night's rest on the train, reached Jacksonville in the 
morning. Here resting a day, we again left on Friday morn- 
ing for Cedar Keys. Our dire6lion now led us across the 
State to the southwest, running at first over the Florida Tran- 
sit Railroad, which reaches from Fernandina to Cedar Keys ; 
^tiien afterwards leaving the Transit road at Waldo, we entered 
upon that called the Peninsular, which stretches to Ocala. 
The managers of these two roads are now constructing, and 
have partly finished, lines to Tampa on the west coast of 
Florida, and to the Indian River region on the east coast. 
These extended roads will supply a long felt want in the 
State, and will open up lands which for fertility are excelled 
by none in Florida. 

Our route now lay through a region more tropical and con- 
sequently presenting many new points of interest. The woods 
were far more luxuriant, the ground being thickly grown with 
all sorts of shrubs, long grasses and bushes, and in looking back 
over the road which we had just passed there appeared a long 
vista of green, growing close up to the track and tapering 
away almost to a point. 

Cedar Keys, the terminus of the Florida Transit Railroad, 
is situated on the Gulf of Mexico and is a quiet, thrifty town. 
Tlere are found the best oysters in Florida. They are shipped 



8 NORTHERN AND CENTRAL FLORIDA. 

to all parts of the State, to all the large southern cities, and 
even to places as far north as Louisville. To one, however, 
who has been accustomed to the luxury of Blue Points and 
Rockaways, their taste is, to say the least, insipid, and perhaps 
the less said about them the better. 

Faber has a manufa<5lory here for the making of cedar pen- 
holders and pencils. Much of the work is done by women,, 
who earn from twelve to eighteen dollars per month, accord- 
ing to their expertness Cedar Keys has a tropical appear- 
ance and seems to remind one that at one time Florida was 
under the government of a different nation from that which 
now rules it. Large quantities of cedar are shipped north 
every year from this place, and the trade of the town, which 
is mostly wholesale, amounts annually to several hundred 
thousand dollars. 

Leaving Cedar Keys the same evening, we returned over 
the Transit road to Waldo, where our car switched off on the 
Peninsular road, which leads to Ocala. This city is the capital 
of Marion county and has a population of a little over a thou- 
sand. The soil here is excellent, and a drive into the country 
around Ocala shows immense fields of banana and orange 
trees, while the people are not behind in the cultivation of 
winter vegetables. Marion county has a population of about 
fifteen thousand and not a bank within its limits. 

At about half-past eight we left Ocala, having as usual our 
special train in waiting for us, and after a ride of about six 
miles reached Silver Springs, where commenced a day of 
beauty such as I never saw before, and fear I shall never see 
again. Nothing which I ever saw in Europe, not even in fiir- 
famed Italy, could compare for bcaut\- with what I viewed that 
day. How my trip down the Ock-la-wa-ha river impressed me, 
and what I saw, I shall endeavor to portray, but like as I was 
taught in early days that beauty itself is incapable of analysis, 
so now I find it incapable of description. 

Silver Springs, the beginning of the trip, is a large basin of 
water covering an area of about three acres, while the depth 
is that of sixty-five or seventy feet. Here is the landing of 
one of the strangest little steamers ever seen. Ours, the 
Osceola, was two stories high, the lower one being quite low, 



SILVER SPRINGS. g 

while the upper story contained the dining room and some 
half dozen little state-rooms, with a small deck in front from 
which to view the scenery. Above this second deck, near the 
edge of the roof, stands the pilot-house, while the little 
steamer itself is propelled by a stern wheel, and such are the 
turnings and twistings of the journey that two rudders are 
required to steer the little craft. These are parallel to each 
other, in the stern, and when the helm is put "hard" either 
one way or the other, the boat is almost completely stopped, 
while the rear seems to be flying around one way and the bow 
the other. 

The surprise and pleasure of the journey commences the 
very instant you board the steamer. On looking down we 
began to w^onder how the boat ever got where she was, for 
what we saw below us was certainly land, only it was a thou- 
sand times more beautiful than any we had ever seen before. 
Soon, however, w^e began to perceive that the Osceola was 
not ashore, but that in gazing downward we were looking 
through at least fifty feet of water, and that the land which 
appeared so beautiful was that at the bottom of the spring. 
Presently the steamer commenced a series of diminutive puffs 
and was soon in the middle of the spring, while with eyes still 
cast down we saw every stone and pebble through an essence 
of clearness seventy feet deep. Fom the bow of the vessel 
the waves rolled off, curling into crystal and green, and every 
drop sparkled and shone like small globes of transparent white. 

From the Silver Spring itself the steamer enters what is 
known as Silver Spring Run, a narrow stream which leads to 
the Ock-la-wa-ha River proper. During these nine miles 
which separate you from the river the water is as clear as that 
in the fountain head. Nothing in the river nor upon its bed 
escapes the eye. The moss and grass upon the bottom are 
plainly discernible, waving to and fro, sometimes seeming to 
beckon you to share with them that purity and beaut}- which 
they enjoy, while with their blades glistening below in the 
sunlight, now shining and now disappearing, they seem to tell 
you that they possess that secret by which they may turn 
everything they touch into gold. Again, stone appears be- 
neath, which looks like molten silver, while here and there. 



lO NORTHERN AND CENTRAL FLORIDA. 

now hiding among the moss, and now laughing at )ou from 
the river's bed, lie objedls sparkHng Hke large diamonds and 
defying you to reach them. Over such treasures swim the 
fish, every motion visible, proceeding now in schools and now 
again wandering alone, as if tired of company and wishing to 
enjoy the beautiful waters in solitude. Suddenly a large tur- 
tle comes into view, swimming as fast as his short legs will 
carry him toward the shore or some friendly rock. Even he, 
this turtle, is to be envied, for while he shows to greedy mor- 
tals only his black shell, yet should a glance be obtained at 
the inside as he strikes out, it will be seen that his coat is 
lined with shining silver. Every object in this limpid crystal 
is transformed and takes to itself new forms and new colors 
befitting its heavenly abode. And still, as the steamer passes 
on the water continually changes its color, taking the hues 
of the objefts over which it flows, changing from a dark green 
to a light, then becoming almost black, turning again to sil- 
ver, then to brown, and presenting each moment some new 
and beautiful tint. 

But while I had been thus proceeding for miles with eyes 
cast do\vn I looked up, only to discover that like the old man 
in " The Pilgrim's Progress," I had been living with my eyes 
upon the ground in search of that treasure which was rather to 
be found by looking above. When you gaze around you won- 
der if }'ou have not left this world and entered Fairyland. 
Surely such a sight was never seen before. I thought of that 
picture which represented Youth sailing down the River of 
Life, but of the two I felt that I should choose the Ock-la- 
wa-ha. 

Now it no longer seems strange that the Indians called the 
stream by their beautiful name, which means Crooked Waters. 
Often the distance of only a few rods in front can be seen, 
while to tell whether the steamer turns to the right or left is 
impossible. Within the space of five minutes her bow ma\- 
have pointed to all points of the compass, north, south, east 
and west. Away goes the little boat around one bend only 
to enter upon another curving around in the opposite direc- 
tion. Sometimes the curves are so short that first the 
steamer runs her bow upon the shore in front of her, then, 



av THE OCK-LA-WA-HA. II 

having been headed down stream again by a negro who 
handles a long pole, she dashes across the river, almost 
knocking down a tree on that side, only to rush back again 
upon the other bank, while almost before she is fairly in the 
channel another bend is commenced almost as sharp as the 
first. All day long you are dodging around among the trees, 
ducking your head every few moments to avoid the branches 
and wondering what you are going to strike next. 

But while we had been thus twisting and turning in all 
dire6lions, and while we had been plucking the leaves and 
flowers from the trees as we passed, the lovely appearance of 
the forest through which the river flowed had not escaped our 
notice. This stream differs from almost all others, in as much 
as it has nothing which might be called its banks. The trees, 
immense cypress, oaks, gums, maples and magnolias, with other 
varieties, seem to have sprung up in the river itself, while the 
stream appears to have worn a path through the very forest. 
Here every tree and shrub grows in the most luxuriant pro- 
fusion. The cypress appears everywhere, suspending from its 
branches the beautiful silver-gray Spanish moss, which ap- 
pears when hanging motionless like long tresses of hair, but 
when swaying in the wind seems to be the long slender arms 
of some water spirit inviting your approach ; or again a snake- 
like tongue, writhing and twisting as if in pain. Trees en- 
circled here and there with bands of bright red bark and bear- 
ing berries as bright and as red ; flowers of all colors and 
shapes ; leaves with the beautiful tints of a northern autumn ; 
palmettoes stretching high into the air their long slender 
trunks, topped with a ball of gracefully curving leaves ; great 
forest giants side by side with the young cypress just appear- 
ing, all interlaced and tangled in a luxuriance known only in 
a tropical country, lined the shores without intermission : while 
the water, trees, flowers, mosses, everything seemed to melt 
into each other in such a liquid beauty that it was impossible 
to tell whether we were looking at the woods or at the water, 
or whether we saw neither and were only dreaming. 

As these never tiring beauties pass before the eye, suddenly 
a water turkey with long legs and still longer neck rises from 
the, stream, and flying off with a discordant cry, perches itself 



12 XORTJIERN AXD CENTRAL FLORIDA. 

upon the limb of some lofty tree to await the steamer's ap- 
proach, or again he may swim before you, diving out of sight 
for minutes together and then raising his snake-like neck above 
the surface, he darts it here and there and everywhere, turning 
it in all directions with lightning-like rapidity, suddenly to 
disappear again under the water ; perhaps he may rise again, 
having secured his prey, or he may be lost sight of altogether. 
Now moccasins are seen coiled up asleep upon some log ; per- 
haps not even to awake unless disturbed by the long pole of 
the darky in the bow, while alligators continually present 
themselves for public inspedlion. Sometimes they are found 
lying asleep upon some log or the shore, not disappearing 
until the steamer is almost abreast with them, when, diving 
into the river, they make their way into the woods. Again in 
the grass ahead a dark body is seen which suddenly disappears, 
and beneath the water may be seen an alligator endeavoring 
to hide, while anon a splash can be heard, the disturbance of 
the water seen, and no more. By the time the journey is half 
over, and especially if the day is a warm one, so many of this 
tribe will have been seen, and so many others imagined, that 
the cry of "alligator, ho !" will hardly awaken any enthusiasm. 

The alligator, owing to the raid which is now being made 
upon it, is slowly disappearing from Central Florida. An 
order has been received from a St. Louis firm for five thousand 
hides to be delivered b)- the fall, while some firm in the 
Eastern States has been promised three thousand more by the 
same time. Hundreds are also taken North every )'ear by 
visitors. While on one line of steamers up the Ock-la-wa-ha, 
people who have lived in the city all their lives, and have 
never handled a gun before, are allowed to bang away all day 
over your head and b\' }'our ears at every defenceless alligator 
which comes into view. This slaughter of the animal for no 
purpose whatever, except to gratif)' the brutal whim of some 
would-be sportsman, should be prohibited ; and it is to be 
hoped that this second line of steamers will follow the good 
example of the first, and cause those brave shots to save their 
skill for a more useful purpose. 

About two o'clock in the day the C}'press gates are reached. 
These are two very large trees standing opposite each oUier 



ON THE OCK-LA-WA-HA. 1 3 

on either side of the stream, so close that your further pro- 
gress seems debarred. Through these gates you view for 
some distance almost the narrowest part of the river. You 
wonder how the steamer will ever get through the opening, 
and then you want to know where she will find water enough 
to float after she is through. Nevertheless the little boat runs 
her bow between the trees, and after striking first one and 
then the other, has passed the gates, and then for some dis- 
tance Liiicads her way among the trees in a manner quite 
wonderful. 

Along the sides of the river appear frequently delightful 
little inlets, meandering away into the forest, while little 
streams wend their way, soon to hide their pure bosoms with 
a veil of vines, leaves and flowers. Again, another softly 
glides into view, coming forth quietly and sadly, seeming 
either reluftant or bashful to leave its home of the cypress 
and the oak, while even now, as the wind blows, these trees 
may be heard to mourn and sigh over their loss. 

Thus all day long new beauties and new points of interest 
continually present themselves, while the eye never tires of 
gazing at the wealth of tree, vine, and flower, which are 
beautiful as they can be only in a tropical clime. 

But if the day is thus charming, what can be said of the 
night .'* Now a scene is presented which baffles description. 
As the day begins to fade and the pilot can no longer see his 
way, a large bright fire of pine knots is lighted above the pilot 
house in an iron basin. Instantly every form and color be- 
comes new and strange. Direftly in front Night itself is 
brooding upon the river. Darkness is there veiling every 
objeft in mystery, and now and then as the fire of pine knots 
grows brighter and again fades, strange forms wax and wane, 
flit to and fro in the distance, and then disappear. Again they 
come into view, when, perhaps, one takes shape and allows you 
to approach it. Nearer and nearer it comes, when a grim 
monster towers into the sky, stretching on all sides long bony 
arms covered with a light drapery which hangs as if torn into 
a thousand shreds. As you gaze, first one and then another 
appears, until they almost block the vessel's way, shaking, as 



14 NORTHERN AND CENTRAL FLORIDA. 

a breeze stirs them, their tattered garments, and threatening 
vengeance for this nightly disturbance. Nearer and nearer 
they come. Gradually each form loses its monster shape as 
the steamer approaches. Their long, thin arms fade into 
limbs of trees, every leaf of which glitters like a blade of 
frosted silver, while each shred of their tattered garments 
becomes a tress of silver-gray moss, changed now to a tress 
of bronze. Again and again these forms, at first strange and 
weird, loom out from the darkness, only to melt as they come 
nearer into forms of rarest beauty. 

In the inky river below, the leaves of the water lily, as they 
appear and disappear beneath the tiny waves, have become 
silver and gold, while ever)' drop of water running over their 
surface sparkles from its background of black and gold as 
never diamonds shone. Trees along the banks whose trunks 
during the day were merely white, become now pillars of 
white, glistening fire. Every tree, leaf, vine, or flower takes 
to itself new forms and colors such as the day never imagined. 

As )ou follow with the eye some object which is passing, 
the bright colors begin to fade, the pillars of fire lose their 
brightness, trees and moss again assume their ghostly shape, 
the leaves of the water-lily are no longer silver and gold, while 
the bright drops of water have become as black as the river. 
Above all, as if waving a fier)' farewell, fly the sparks from the 
fire of pine knots. The little steamer puffs on and on while 
still appear, grow distinct, and fade again the figures of such a 
night as can never be forgotten — so strange, weird, awful, and 
yet so beautiful. 

Once during the night the whistle of the steamer was blown. 
Instantly there arose on all sides dismal cries and shrieks from 
each long-legged bird, many of which flew off, loudly flapping 
their wings and seeming to curse that which had disturbed 
their peace. These, too, died away, and soon the woods were 
as still and lonely as before. 

Our little steamer arrived at Palatka, on the St. Johns River 
at about one o'clock in the morning, but not wishing to gc 
ashore at that unseemly hour, we took possession of the state- 
rooms, and spent the night on board. Our breakfast was 



PALATKA. 15 

taken at the Putnam House, one of the best hotels in Florida. 
It is very nicely furnished, is cool, roomy, and presents an 
excellent table. 

Palatka is a very pretty city, beautifully situated on ground 
rising slightly from the river, and has a population of about 
eight hundred, who are mostly Northern people. Its streets 
are wide and generally shaded with orange trees. The small 
boy, however, has but very little incentive to " hook " the fruit, 
as he would call it, as it is sour. The city appears enterpris- 
ing and growing. The soil thereabouts is rich and produ6live, 
and from here also large quantities of vegetables are shipped 
yearly to the North. In this vicinity also are many orange 
groves, that of Colonel Hart, situated across the river, being 
one of the most famous in the State. 

Palatka shows evidences of improvement and thrift, while 
one of the most pleasant sights to a Northern visitor is the 
grass which fills the yards and even lines the sides of the 
roads. Many cities in Florida which are really thriving, go- 
ahead places, have an air of desolation and negle6l for want of 
this very grass. The people seem to care little or nothing for 
its cultivation, and in the towns where the soil is often sandy, 
care is needed to induce it to grow. 

Having made a tour of the city, and visited its store of 
Floridian curiosities, most of which are made in the North, 
we left Palatka on the steamer St. Johns, on our way down 
the river. This fine boat is remembered by many as one 
which used to ply in the summer between New York and 
Long Branch, returning to Florida in the winter. Trade, 
however, has increased here to such an extent during the past 
few years, that if New Yorkers wish to take a sail on the 
Steamer St. Johns they will have to visit Florida, as she has 
left the North forever. 

The river itself, during its first ninety-six miles, is a fine 
large stream, varying from one to six miles in width, is deep, 
and has a slow current. Here the shores are covered with 
extensive forests, and lined frequently with pretty and attrac- 
tive little towns. 

About We-la-ka, however, the stream changes in appear- 
ance, becomes narrower and very crooked. The shores are 



l6 NORTHERN AND CENTRAL FLORIDA. 

flat and covered with a dense growth of trees, great vines, 
and a jungle of tropical grasses, brambles and bushes. This 
continues, with the exception now and then of pine or high 
soil clearings, to Lake Monroe, about eighty miles distant. 
The shore being flat, the river frequently widens out into 
small lakes, where game and fish are found in great abundance. 
Alligators in this region avoid the steamer, disappearing 
whenever it comes into sight, remembering two well that 
their lives are not safe from the gun of the sporting fiend. 
IkMutiful flowers are found everywhere, while birds of brilliant 
plumage enliven the scene. 

Above Lake Monroe to Lake Washington, the source of the 
St. Johns, the river becomes ver}' crooked, narrow, and shallow. 
The distance is two hundred and fourteen miles, and the stream 
winds through a vast prairie-like region, where trees are seen 
but seldom. This part of Florida excels for grazing ; vast 
herds of cattle are seen upon every side, while all sorts of 
game and fish abound. 

The mouth of the St. Johns is obstrufted by a bar which, at 
the present time, leaves only ten or twelve feet of water at 
high tide. About one hundred and fifty thousand dollars 
have already been expended upon a system of jetties in order 
to deepen the channel. Florida desires an appropriation from 
Congress of three millions, with which amount they believe 
the channel could be made twenty feet at high water. This, 
of ^ourse, would be of great advantage to Jacksonville, as it 
would open her port to vessels double the draught of those 
which can now enter. The name given the river b\' the 
Indians was that of Wa-la-ka, to which two meanings are 
assigned. The one signifies " It has its own way ;" the other, 
" a chain of lakes." The latter translation seems to me the 
more appropriate, but as both are given, each ma\- choose for 
himself 

Our first place of departure from the river took place at 
Tocoi, eighteen miles below Palatka. Here are only the 
steamboat landing and railroad depot, from which cars run to 
St. Augustine. The distance is fourteen miles over a flat and 
uninteresting country, covered mostly with pine. 

St. Augustine itself, however, is well worth a visit. The 



ST. AUGUSTINE, \j 

oldest town in the United States, it was founded by the 
Spaniards under Menendez in 1565, and still retains much of 
its old Spanish appearance. The streets are narrow and very 
straight for an old city. There are no regularly constru6led 
sidewalks, the doors of the houses opening upon the street 
itself. Many of the houses are built of coquina, a rock formed 
of shells, which, although by no means a hard stone, yet is 
very durable. In many places the houses proje6l over the 
street, forming a shelter for the passengers beneath, which, 
before the time of umbrellas, must have been very acceptable. 
But besides the foreign appearance of the streets, St. Augustine 
has other sights, and those too which are worth visiting. 

Fronting the Plaza de la Constitucion, is the old cathedral, 
which was built in 1793, while one of its bells bears the date 
1682. There is very little ornamentation discernible, either 
inside or out of the building, the principal objeft of attraction 
being the Moorish belfry. The cathedral seems to feel its 
weight of years, and looks much older than it really is. Some 
enterprising Americans, the younger generation no doubt, 
have conceived the highly civilized idea of repairing the old 
building. By this I judged from what an old citizen told me, 
that they desired to remove whatever was old about the 
church, and replace it with something new and handsome, 
something befitting, perhaps, their refined and modernized 
tastes. But said the old man, who was a communicant there : 
" They shall never touch it while we old people are alive. 
They may repair it when we are dead and gone, but not while 
we live and can prevent it." The old gentleman was right, 
and whoever should venture to remove one stone of the old 
cathedral until safety demands it, should be branded as worse 
than a barbarian. 

The old gates of St. Augustine are interesting, but the wall 
through which they were formerly the entrance no longer 
exists. The towers and sentry boxes, although hardly im- 
posing, are very pifturesque and ancient looking, reminding 
one of the time of knights and squires, lords and ladies. 

The most interesting sight in St. Augustine, is Fort Marion. 
This most pifturesque old stru6lure, with its deep, broad moat, 
towers, massive walls, and dungeons, was completed in 1756, 



l8 XORTHERX AND CENTRAL FLORIDA. 

having occupied one hundred and sixty-four years in its con- 
struction. It was entirely built by negro slaves, Indians, and 
prisoners of war, and is constructed of coquina rock, quarried 
on Anastasia Island. While held by the British it was said to 
be the prettiest fort in the King's dominions. It is of no use, 
however, in modern warfare, and is gradually crumbling to 
decay. The old fort is a romantic spot, and is much fre- 
quented by young married couples, lovers, and those who are 
either desirous of entering that blissful state, or b}' those who, 
having entered, are desirous to continue therein. 

The old sea wall, four feet wide, built of coquina and gran- 
ite, is nearly a mile in length and prote6ls almost the entire 
river front of the city. Just why it was built I have been 
unable to discover, as St. Augustine, being situated on the 
Matanzas river, which is separated from the ocean by Anasta- 
sia Island, is never subjected to any storms upon the shore of 
the city itself. It is an ornament, but, I should think, an ex- 
pensive one. 

The Plaza dc la Constitucion is an interesting old square, 
situated about the center of the city, and with its two monu- 
ments and old market place, now in disuse, adds not only a 
charm to the city, but also serves to increase that foreign and 
ancient appearance, which is the chief feature of St. Augus- 
tine. This city is considered among the most healthy in 
Florida. Malaria is almost unknown, while frosts seldom 
occur, the average temperature during the winter being 58- 
degrees. 

Again leaving St. Augustine, at 8.45, A. M., we took the 
little railroad to Tocoi, where we boarded the steamer for 
Jacksonville, and after a very pleasant ride of forty-three 
miles, reached our destination at about two o'clock. Here 
resting a da)', we were hurried off the next morning for Fer- 
nandina, haxing to do our packing, eat our breakfast, and 
reach the depot inside of forty minutes. The ride from Jack- 
sonville to F'ernandina, a distance of thirty-two miles, is very 
pleasant, passing through some densely wooded and very 
pretty country. 

Fernandina is a very pretty cit\', situated on Amelia Island,, 
close to the boundary line between Georgia and Florida, and 



FERNANDINA. 



19 



having a population of about two thousand. Its harbor is by 
far the best in the State, and a system of jetties is now in 
course of constru6lion, which will open this port to steamers of 
the very largest size. The city is the terminus of the two princi- 
pal railroads in Florida, the Florida Central and Western, 
reaching to Tallahassee, and the Florida Transit, extending 
to Cedar Keys ; a short line also connefts it dire6lly with 
Jacksonville, while all natural advantages seem to make it the 
port through which Florida must ship all her produ<5ls. 

While in Fernandina we were courteously invited by ex- 
Senator Yulee, to accompany him on a tour around the harbor. 
We gladly accepted the invitation, and at about ten o'clock in 
the morning, boarded a private tug, when, assisted by the 
Senator's store of valuable information, we had an opportunity 
to view the finest harbor south of the Chesapeake. We 
passed old Fort Clinch, long since abandoned, and crossed 
over to Cumberland Island, on which stands " Dungeness;" the 
former home of Gen. Nathaniel Green, one of our revolution- 
ary heroes. This charming and magnificent home was burned 
during the early part of the civil war, and is now a massive- 
old ruin. In a graveyard near by, is buried Harry Lee, known 
as " Light House Harry," the father of Gen. Robert E. Lee. 
While on our tug, we had a chance to view the fine bay, large, 
and deep enough to hold the fleets of the world. Arriving 
again at the pier, we drove down to the famous Amelia Is- 
land Beach, one of the finest in America. Here for twenty 
miles this drive extends along the edge of the ocean over a 
white, hard, and smooth sand. There is an hotel on the beach, 
which is frequented during the summer by native Floridians, 
and it is rather strange that this place is not more popular 
among health seekers, for, while it possesses all the induce- 
ments of a northern resort, it has the advantage of being in a 
southern climate. 

The city of Fernandina has grown but little during a num- 
ber of years past, owing to the fa6l that most of the property 
had been seized by the Government during the war, for non- 
payment of taxes. This has, however, lately been restored 
to the rightful owners, and now being free from all entangle- 
ment, the city will doubtless commence a rapid growth. It is 



20 ^OR THERN A ND CEX TRA L FL OR IDA. 

undoubtedly the port of Florida. It hris direct railroad com- 
munication with every part of the State, and commerce with 
Liverpool, New York, Charleston, Savannah, and other 
Southern cities. Vessels which will probably never be able to 
reach Jacksonville, have free access to Fernandina, while time 
can be saved by shipping from this port. The city has a fine 
situation, and is very healthy and cool, the sea sending the 
most delightful breeze over the Island during the whole day. 
From its natural advantages Fernandina was meant to be the 
principal city in Florida, and I should not be surprised to find 
that in fifty years it had taken the lead from Jacksonville. 

From the roof of the Egmont House, one of the best 
hotels in Florida, is a view which is beautifiil at every hour, 
but especially at sunset. In the west flows the Amelia river, 
which as the sun goes down assumes the most rich and gor- 
geous colors. Streaks of dark purple, which grow darker and 
richer as the light wanes, cover the river, while shades of gold 
and red lie between, each melting into the other with rarest 
tint. Beyond, with strips of dark land between, are two rib- 
bons of gold, which taper away towards the left into points, 
and then disappear. As darkness comes on, the purple alone 
remains, which supports upon its ro)'al bosom ships, the 
masts and rigging of which are clearly defined against the 
sky, while so peaceful and tranquil is the scene that Quiet 
itself seems to have chosen that place for its home. In the 
east can be seen the ocean rolling its line of white upon the 
beach, and to the north, rising from a grove of trees, stands 
the white lighthouse, whose beacon ever fades and again 
grows bright. Around and below is the city, with its wealth 
of trees and houses, from whose windows appear one by one 
the lights, varying in brightness as the houses are near or far. 
Then off in the distance are the woods fading- away into the 
darkness, while the whole scene is so quiet and tranquil that 
it seems a pity morning should ever come. 

In Fernandina, called the Newport of the South, we re- 
mained almost three days, and on our return to Jacksonville 
our tour in Florida was virtual!}- at an end. We remained in 
this cit\'. however, for some da\s longer, and each day as I 



HEALTHFULNESS, ETC. 21 

learned more and more of the State, my belief in its future 
greatness became more and more strengthened. 

So situated is this State, and such are its natural advan- 
tages, that the wants of every one seem here to meet their 
fulfillment. For the invalid there is perpetual summer, no 
cold blasts of the North to congeal the very blood in his veins, 
and to extinguish the little life which there is left. A genial 
climate gives out-door exercise from January to December, 
while I can assert, both from my own observation and also 
upon the authority of others, that many arriving in Florida 
almost dead have now not only recovered their health, but 
are on their way to fortune, owning orange groves or farms, 
holding positions of trust, and otherwise benefitting both 
themselves and the country, and having before them the 
prospeft of a long and happy life. This result, however, is 
not to be accomplished by going to Jacksonville, shutting 
oneself in a hot and dark room, and then as soon as the warm 
weather of March comes, running away to the North, expe6l- 
ing to fine summer there. Health and strength are gained by 
care, such as would be used at home, and by making use of 
the pure air, light and sun, which God has so bountifully 
given. 

Florida is, however, not a land for invalids only. The far- 
mer and immigrant are offered advantages here which far sur- 
pass any to be found in Kansas or Nebraska. There is not a 
northern or semi-tropical fruit, vegetable or grain which does 
not grow in Florida, and grow well, while the care needed to 
produce a successful crop is much less than that which has to 
be expended in any other portion of the Union. The choicest 
fruits and vegetables can be placed in the northern market at 
a time when their value is enormous. Strawberries, tomat- 
oes, green peas, cucumbers, and similar produ6lions, can be 
brought to perfeclion long before their seed is even sown in 
the North, and the prices obtained for these luxuries render 
the profits fabulous. 

During the winter of 1 880-1, the most severe ever known 
in Florida, a country fair was held on February 22, in Sanford, 
Orange county, for the purpose of displaying their winter pro- 
du6lions. The results obtained seem almost incredible, but 



22 NORTHERN AND CENTRAL FLORIDA. 

in order to show what Florida can produce in mid-winter, I 
shall quote a few sentences from a report prepared by Dr. J. 
L. Richardson for the Mount Sterling (Kentucky) Democrat. 
He says : " There were turnips measuring three feet in cir- 
cumference ; cabbages weighing from twelve to fifteen 
pounds, and radishes as much as nine pounds, solid and brit- 
tle. The Rcan Lttxurians, or Te-o-sin-te — grass of the gods 
— exhibited by Dr. Kcnworthy, is eight or nine feet long, and 
resembles corn fodder, and is said to be very prolific, yielding 
from fifty to one hundred tens per acre. Heads of lettuce that 
would cover a dinner plate looked fresh and crisp; while on- 
ions, leeks, kale, parsnips, etc., lay around in rich profusion. 
Potatoes planted on Christmas day were of fine size for table 
use, and altogether it would be difficult to imagine a more 
splendid and attractive show of garden vegetables, maturing 
in the open garden, while all the other States lay congealed 
in the icy chains of winter." 

The foregoing is a part of Dr. Richardson's report in rela- 
tion to winter vegetables, and as to other Florida produ6ls 
the result may seem equally astounding. An orange grove 
will bear in three years from planting, and in five years will 
be self-supporting. From this time it rapidly advances, pay- 
ing at first hundreds, then soon thousands of dollars per acre ; 
while from the same amount of ground* from four to six thou- 
sand dollars have been realized. Bananas pay from twelve 
hundred to two thousand dollars ; pine-apples from eight hun- 
dred to twelve hundred dollars. Sugar cane grows to the 
height of twelve or sixteen feet, single stalks producing more 
than a gallon of juice, and from five to si.x hundred gallons of 
syrup per acre. The same roots will produce new stalks for 
several years, unless injured by cold, drought, or excess of 
rain. As many as nineteen crops from the same roots have 
been raised in the Indian Ri\'er region ; while on the shores 
of Lake Worth there is now growing cane which has not been 
replanted since the Indian wars, which ended in 1842. A 
planter on the Indian River netted, with the help of one negro 
man, sixteen hundred dollars from five acres, while other re- 
sults equally good have been obtained, of which this is merely 
an example. 



PRODUCTS. 23 

Cotton of the best grade is raised here, averaging from one 
hundred and fifty to two hundred pounds per acre ; though 
this yield is often doubled. This crop is safer here than in any 
other State. Corn is, all things considered, one of the most 
profitable crops in Florida, for although at first producing less 
per acre than can be grown in the West, yet when all ex- 
penses incidental to such a crop are considered, the raising of 
corn becomes very lucrative. The above mentioned are a few 
examples of the many and various crops produced in this 
State. In the case of a few produ6ls, the yield may be less 
per acre than is grown in other parts of the Union, but when 
other advantages are weighed, as the price of land ; the sea- 
sons which always give two crops, sometimes three and pos- 
sibly four ; the cost of gathering, housing and similar outlays; 
I think it may be safely said that here the profits are much 
greater, and the danger of failure much less than in any other 
State. 

Florida, as has been truly said, is rapidly becoming a 
Northern colony. Year by year the nuiiiber from New Eng- 
land, the Middle States, and the Northwest, is steadily in- 
creasing. This element, although by no means the largest, is 
yet by far the most important, and to it is due all that pros- 
perity which is now spreading over every portion of the State. 
Railroad and steamboat lines, the largest farms and orange 
groves, the finest houses and grounds, the great saw mills and 
hotels, are all for the most part owned by Northern men ; 
while those cities are the most thrifty which contain the 
largest number of this hardy and energetic people. The 
immigrants to this State are unusually intelligent, understand- 
ing how to read and WTite, and having an appreciation of the 
truth that wealth lies in the steady and diligent cultivation of 
the soil, none expe6ling, as is often the case in the far West, 
to make a fortune in a day. These people almost invariably 
succeed ; and, after a few years of steady toil, are repaid by 
finding themselves not only well-to-do in the world, but also 
by becoming, thanks partly to their own labor, an important 
member of what is now perhaps a thriving young community. 

There are also found here Northern people of another class, 
who come not so much to make a fortune as to enjoy that 



24 



NORTHERN AND CENTRAL FLORIDA. 



which they have already made. In and around Jacksonville 
are found many such, while the banks of the St. Johns contain 
many villas, which are inhabited during the winter by the 
Northern gentleman. In the above mentioned city, among 
many others, is General Spinner, while somewhat higher up 
upon the bank of the river may be seen the residence of Mrs. 
Harriet Beecher Stowe. 

As a second class of those who inhabit Florida may be men- 
tioned the old Southern families, those of the old regime, who 
before the war owned their slaves, lived in princely style, and 
now, for the most part, inhabit the northwestern part of the 
State. These families are hospitable and kind, courteous and 
polite to the highest degree, but nevertheless live, as far as 
circumstances will allow, in the old way, and even yet are 
slow to adopt those new customs and opinions which have 
pervaded the conntry since the war. A northern stranger or 
immigrant will be always kindly treated, even assisted and 
cared for if in need, but he is always, to a certain extent, re- 
garded as an interloper. These old families are gradually 
passing away, and with them the remembrance of those 
wrongs, deep and real as they arc, is also gradually disappear- 
ing. The younger generation is growing up imbued with the 
spirit and ideas of to-day. They naturally grow with the 
times, become more energetic, and soon no doubt this north- 
western portion of the State will become, as from its appear- 
ance it well deserves to be. Northern, if not in reality, at least 
in enterprise and growth. 

The negro constitutes the third, the largest, but the most 
unimportant class in the State. Numbering almost half the 
population of all Morida, and living in the climate for which 
he seems especially made, he is, nevertheless, as a trustworthy 
laborer, of but little advantage. He is docile and good 
natured, but is still \cry untrustworth}', requiring constant 
watching in order to exa6l from him his daily work. The 
best negro is he who has the blackest face. He is more 
steady going, anxious to please, and willing to execute, as far 
as he is able, those orders received from his overseer. Negroes 
of a lighter color, mulattoes, and other such, are often insolent, 
frequently addi6led to drink and gambling, and, upon the 



NO MALARIA. 2$ 

whole, are of far less value as laborers than their blacker 
brothers. The negro in Florida is slowly, and will doubtless 
eventually be altogether, displaced as a workman by the foreign 
element, which latter class, although small, is unusually thrifty 
and industrious in this State, the Irish being hardly found. 

The fourth and perhaps the most interesting class of inhab- 
itants is the " cracker." Just what he is, and where he came 
from, nobody seems to know. He lives in the woods away 
from all settlements, and as civilization and population in- 
crease, is driven further and further away, until finally, it is to 
be hoped, he will be crowded out into the sea and 
drowned. He is an interesting study, for his chara6leristics 
are many and various. Lazy, ignorant, squalid and mean, 
he is at the same time vindi6live and stupid. His appearance 
is tall and gaunt, his hair dirty and matted, having staring 
eyes and a slouching gait. His house is a log cabin, usually 
having but one room and no floor. Here he lives in dirt and 
squalor, his wife as bad as himself, and both subsisting on 
cabbage palmettoes, sweet potatoes and wild fruits, with 
pellets of clay as a condiment. Now and then the "cracker" 
gives a ball, inviting his friends for miles around, and after 
assembling in his hut, they commence their dance, which 
often lasts two or three days, and subsequently ends up in a 
brawl, when the best man carries off the lady. 

This State is often represented as one in which malaria is 
found in every part, and to the danger of which every one is 
more or less subje6led. This statement is wholly untrue. To 
assert that no cases of this disease were ever known in Florida 
would be about as worthy of belief as to assert that no cases 
were ever known North. Those troubles and derangement^ 
which northern people sometimes suffer in Florida, and whicl| 
they attribute to malaria, are the results of their own impru- 
dence, to over-eating, over-exertion, exclusion of fresh air, 
and to the taking of medicines intended to ward off a disease 
which exists only in their imagination. Dr. Joseph P. Logan, 
of Atlanta, says, that since 1844 he has navigated, at different 
times, the various streams of the State, including Lake Okee- 
chobee and the Everglades, has slept for two monhts in an 
open boat with no covering but an awning stretched above 



26 NORTHERN AND CENTRAL FLORIDA. 

him, and that at no time did cither he or his companions 
■suffer from malaria or a chill. One hears most of this bug- 
bear from the agents of certain hotels, steamboat lines, and 
the like, who endeavor by their stories of malaria, to frighten 
travelers from one part of the State and induce him to take up 
their abode in another, or to travel over lines in which they 
themselves are interested. Colonel Hart, who has lived for 
years upon the banks of the St. Johns, and who owns a line 
of steamers which traverse the Ock-la-wa-ha, and who would 
certainly be well acquainted with cases, if such there were, 
has informed me that in this very distri6l, which most people 
would consider especially produflive of malaria, cases of this 
trouble are unknown. Let those who visit Florida avoid 
excess in what thc}' eat and drink, beware of undue exposure, 
breathe the pure air night and day, and they will find that 
Florida contains no more of this disease than do the Northern 
States. 

In conclusion, perhaps, a few words in regard to the price of 
Florida lands would not be inappropriate. Farms suitable 
for producing the various crops may be found in every portion 
of the State, at prices ranging, per acre, from five to one hun- 
dred dollars. An article published during the past spring in 
one of the Jacksonville papers asserts : " The price of land is 
lower in proportion to productive value, advantages of market 
and facilities for transportation, than in any Northern State. 
Good agricultural lands on old improved estates and con- 
tiguous to railroads and thoroughfares can be had for from 
$5 to $25 per acre ; wild lands from 70 cents to $10 ; choice 
hammock lands on the St. Johns river, contiguous to steam- 
boat landings, can be had in small or large trails at about 
$20, while the contiguous pine lands, eligibly located, are to 
be had at from $5 to $10. 

Lands along the line of the Transit and Peninsular Rail- 
roads being as produ6live as an}- in the State, are. upon the 
whole, perhaps, the most desirable, while, as has been before 
mentioned, these roads are extending their lines much further 
to the South, stretching through the Indian River region 
upon the east and to Tampa upon the west. Wiicn these roads 
^re completed lands will be open to immigration which for 



EMPLOYMENT FOR ALL. 2/ 

fertility and ease of transportation will be exceeded by none 
in the United States. 

But Florida has advantages for others besides the immi- 
grant and settler. For the capitalist there are railroads to be 
built, canals to be constru6led, new distri6ls to be opened up, 
lines of steamers to be started and banks to be founded. 
For the laborer or mechanic there is work here, there, every- 
where. For the gentleman of leisure there is a winter par- 
adise, where his gun and rod need never lie idle. For the 
sight-seer and tourist there is novelty, the obje6l for which 
he seeks, and beauty, such as perhaps he has never seen be- 
fore. For all men there all things, and no one except the man 
who makes his business that of shovelling snow will be una- 
to find employment in Florida. 



APPEXDIX. 



Notes by George M. Barbour, Esq., on his Tour of Florida with Hon. 
Seth French, Commissioner for Immigration, 1882. 

Page 14. — Florida has a soil in which can be g^rown every variety of 
fruit, flowers, garden vegetables, field crops or forest produ(fl, that 
grows in any temperate or semi-tropical region of the world. Every 
one has heard of its fabulous yields of oranges, lemons, and the like ; 
and the stories told on this head are not always exaggerated. I have 
seen groves of oranges which produced from S200 to $4,000 the acre, 
and know of an acre of pine-apples that, within two years after the 
trees were cleared from its surface, yielded the owners (two bright 
young New York lads) S1.800. 

I have seen fields of wheat ripening in January that produced 28 
bushels to the acre; com that produced in the same month 70 bushels 
to the acre. 

Sugar cane that }Melded $160, net profit, to the acre. 

Irish potatoes producing 200 bushels to the acre. 

Rice that paid a net profit of $200 the acre ; and 

Cassa7)a that netted $150 per acre. 

Watermelons and garden vegetables grow rapidly, attain great sizes, 
are of excellent quality, and, when convenient to city market or to 
lines of transportation, paj' the producer from $100 to Si.ooo per acre. 

Of garden vegetables three and even four crops are sometimes taken 
from the same tra(ft within 12 months. 

IHE SPRATT GROVE. 

Page 38. — The Spratl grove is one of the finest in Florida, with 
1000 orange trees growing on 10 acres. The founder came here about 
ten years ago, an old man, and with but little means or money. He com- 
menced clearing the land all by himself, and now has a grove hard to- 
surpass. The grove is sure to produce henceforth an income of 
several thousand dollars annually. 

Page 42. — The grove owned by Major Norris had 1 1,000 trees, mostly 
on hammock lands, which are nearlj' all bearing; in facfl he gathered 
last winter upwards of 460,000 oranges, filling 3,100 boxes. In time 
that grove will produce millions, yielding a princely revenue. 

Pai;e 51. — The grove of Col. J. W. Marshall, who came here from 
South Carolina after the war, now in full bearing, has been sold for 
$28,000 cash. 



APPENDIX. 29 

Notes of the same on a trip with Capt. Samuel Tanbanks, on an official 
pilgrimage through the Northern Section of the State in March. 

Mr. N. C. Rippy has written a letter to the Tallahassee Floridian, 
containing information of value to immigrants. 

Suwanee Coiuity. The pine lands produce about 15 bushels of corn 
per acre. A little manure and good cultivation will yield more than 
double that. Cotton, about a bale to two acres, sometimes three. 
Upland rice, 40 to 60 bushels per acre. Sugar cane does well and is a 
very profitable crop. 

Turpentining has become quite an industry and there are several 
large tupentine farms in the county that are reported to be very 
profitable. 

INDIAN RIVER REGION. 

Pages 138-9. — The pine lands largely predominate, some of very fair 
producflive quality. There are also fine bodies of the most splendid 
hammocks peculiarly adapted to the growth of tropical fruits, orange, 
lemon, lime, citron, banana, plantain, pine-apple, guava, pomegranate, 
tamarind, sapodilla. avocado-pear, mamma-apple, sugar-apple, mango, 
papaw, cacao, date, cocoanut, pecan-nut, yam, ginger, casava, etc. 

The orange is the leading crop. It requires three years from trans- 
planting to commence bearing, then pays ^100 per acre and soon runs 
to thousands. There have been $4,000 to |6,ooo realized per acre in 
one season. 

Bananas grow considerably north of this and pay from $1,200 to 
$2,000 per acre. 

Pine-apples from $800 to $1,200 per acre. 

Sugar cane grows astonishingly, attaining a height of 12 to 16 feet, 
single stalks yielding more than a gallon of juice, which, being boiled 
down, makes over a quart of thick syrup and produces 500 to 600 
^gallons of syrup per acre. 

Of peas and pumpkins two crops from the same vine are raised in 
abundance, and potatoes flourish the year round. 

Page 140. — With 'the proper railroad connecflions the Indian river 
region must come into repute for vegetables. It can supply even 
New York in the months of January, February and March with the 
•most delicate varieties of tomatoes, peas, beans, green corn, cabbages, 
melons, etc. 

Page 148. — Gulf Coast. All the land in the vicinity is good, and 
crops of everything that can be produced elsewhere in the semi- 
tropical portions of Florida will grow there and produce abundantly. 
The scenery is beautiful, the ciimite is wonderfully bland and equable, 
and game, fish, oysters, turtles, and the like, are found in inexhaustible 
quantities. 

THE SANFORD GRANT AND ORANGE COUNTY. 

Page 155. — The traft embraces 22 square miles, nearly all of good 
quality and susceptible of profitable cultivation. Everything, except 
the characteristically tropical fruits, thrives exceedingly well here, 
especially oranges, lemons, grapes, and garden vegetables. The 
fiimous Speer grove contains 550 trees standing on less than six acres 
of land. The trees are about 35 years old and yield annually from 
400,000 to 500,000 oranges. Upwards of 600,000 have been gathered 



30 NORTHERN AND CENTRAL FLORIDA. 

in specially favorable seasons. The crop of the season of 1 880-1 was 
sold on the trees at §17 the 1000, and netted the owner upward of 
$6,800. 

Page 159.— Indian corn, sugar cane, cotton, tobacco, rice, straw- 
berries, cabbages, tomatoes, watermelons, and all garden producfls 
yield immense crops in the soil around Sanford. From one garden 
comprising three-quarters of an acre of land, four crops had been 
taken during the preceding twelve months by using a moderate 
amount of fertilizer. Think of that — four crops in one year ! 

In a report of Mayor Marks and the Hon. John G. Sinclair it is 
mentioned : 

"Much valuable land is now open to the aflual settler and may be 
had by others from government price at points remote from trans- 
portation, to S5. S'o, §20, S3oand up to $100 or more per acre at points- 
immediately on the railroad or lakes connecfting with the rail." 

PRICES OF LAXI), CLEARING, ETC. 

Page 244. — There is still much land to be had at the government 
price, but these are rarely so situated in respe<n to transportation, 
facilities that it is wise to put an orange grove upon them. The price 
of land held for sale by private parties ranges from 85 to S125 per 
acre, the difference being due mainly to greater or less nearness to 
settlements or to lines of transportation. 

The cost of clearing pine land is from $10 to $30 per acre, according^ 
to the amount of undergrowth and the amount of "grubbing" required. 
Of clearing hammock lands from S30 to S'oo per acre. 

The cost of plowing is from $3 to $5 per acre. 

Page 297. — Capital. Money can be loaned on perfecflly good security 
at from 10 to 18 per cent, per annum. 



To the Fertile and Wealthy State of 



I 



(United States of America) 

IS VIA. 



f 



ROTTERDAM (HOLLAfiO) TO NEW YO[[K 



AND THENCE TO 



FERNANDINA. 



The First-class Clyde Built Iron Steamships of the 



li 



AMSTERDAM, 

SCHIEDAM, 

ZAANDAM, 
EDAM, 



ROTTERDAM, 

W. A. SCHOLTEN, 
P. CALAND, 

LEERDAM, MAAS, 



Having unsurpassed accommoriation for Cabin and Steerage Passen- 
gers, leave 

ROTTERDAM AND AMSTERDAM, ALTERNATELY, 

Every week, on Saturday, 

FOR NEW YOIiK, 

From which latter port the passage to 

FERNANDINA, FLORIDA. 

Is made in THREE days by the Superior Steamers of the 
MALLORY LINE. 



RATES OF PASSAGE 

FROM 

Amsterdam;} ™ fernandina, Florida, 

CABIN, $90 ; STEERAGE, $35. 

For further information apply to 

Tie NetlierlanJs American Steam MuM Company, 

Rotterdam (Holland). 

//. CAZA UX, General Agent, 

27 South William Street, New York- 
Or to WILLIAM H. MARTIN. 

Florida Land Agent, 50 Broadway, New York. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

llllilj 

014 499 821 2 • 



